Towel supply device



Jan. 15, 1935. R. DE BERSAQUES TOWEL SUPPLY DEVICE Q Filed Jan. 11, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet l 51 1 Fig- 2- mu T I: :1: 31 'r- I a, "24- 2 13 a2 1 1M INVENTOR Rnmam DEB ersaques E 82 I a ATTORNEY Jan. 15, 1935. R. DE BERSAQUES 1,988,266

TOWEL SUPPLY DEE-VICE Filezi Jan. 11, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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ATTO EY Jan- 1 1935- R. DE BERSAQUES 1,988,266

TOWEL SUPPLY DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 11, 1932 i E u q H m E T. WE mD m D R Patent-eel? lien. 35 1935 UNITED STATES 1,388,266 TOWEL SUPPLY DEVICE Romain de Bersaques, Seattle, Wash, aasignor to Steiner Sales Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Utah Application January 11, 1932, Serial No. 585,945 8 Claims. (01. 312- 38) My invention pertains to cabinets designed to contain a towel web so controlled that it may be withdrawn a little at a time, and so that at the same time the other end may be rolled up a like 5 amount, whereby substantially the same amount of the web is exposed for use at all times.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient device for holding and making available a towel web and one which may be depended upon to limit the amount of the web withdrawn at anyone time within reasonable amounts, and yet permitting reasonable and free withdrawal within the limits set. Hence, by a controlling and delaying mechanism, the withdrawal is limited in amount to that usually required by an individual, and in time to that required by such an individual, so that. he may not, without a considerable wait, withdraw more than he requires, yet the next user may find it possible freely to withdraw a fresh section of the web, without delay. A further object of my invention is to provide a mechanism for holding and controlling the use of the web which will permit quick and easy replacement of a used web by a' clean web, whether or not the web has been completely used up.

It is another object to mount the webs and rolls in such manner that they cannot, in use, 3g come into contact with gearing or like mechanism, thus to damage or discolor the towel.

Other objects of my invention will be'disclosed by perusal of the following specification and study of the accompanying drawings, which diswhich has been adopted by me for carrying it out.

The features of my invention which I believe to be new and upon which I desire to secure a patent will be specifically defined by the claims which terminate this specification.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevation on a plane extending from front to rear, showing the operating mechanism and the relation of the parts to each other.

Figure 2 is a front elevation, the door being swung back and being limited in extent to a short section at one end.

Figure 3 is a similar view showing a section at the other end of the cabinet.

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of the same end of the cabinet, the plane of section being I just within the outer case and portions of the frame which carries the operating parts being broken away to bettereshow the working parts.

close my invention and a form of construction Figure 5 is a top or plan view, the outer casing being in section taken just below the top plate, and the case which carries the working parts withdrawn as when changing towel webs.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of a dash pot 5 mechanism which may be used to delay release of the towel feeding lock.

Figure 7 shows the construction of the slotted flange at one end of the casing upon which the inner case slides and swings after it has been withdrawn.

Figure 8 is an elevation of the gear mechanism used to connect the towel feeding and controlling rolls.

Figure 9 is a section taken on a plane at right 15 angles to the axis of the plunger piston 81, showing the disk 6 in elevation.

I have chosen to mount the towel holding and controlling mechanism in a frame or inner case 2 which slides into an outer case 1, which latter is provided with a door 10 which will close the open front face or the casing 1. Any suitable locking means may be employed to secure this door when shut.

The outer case has its bottom face freely open except for the flanges 11, one at each end, upon which the inner case rests and slides, and the flange 12 at the back which, besides being a stiffening beam forms part of a device acting upon the towel web, to tension the latter, and also to smooth out-wrinkles in the towel.

The inner case 2 has both front and back face open, except as I may employ a partition plate 20, which partially closes its back face. The lower side of the inner case is closed by the plate 21, which by being offset near each end, as shown at 22, forms a shoulder which will engage the edges of the flanges 11 of the outer case to hold the inner case against side movement. The bottom of the cabinet is thus closed by the bottom plate of the inner case.

At both upper and lower corners of the inner case 2, horizontal flanges 24 and 23 are provided, placed so as to rest and slide upon complemental flanges 11 and 13 of the outer case. The latter flanges are, at one side of the case, being the left hand side as shown in the drawings, provided with slots 14 and the complementalflanges 23 and 24 of the inner case are provided at their rear end,-each with a pivot pin 25 which enters 50 the slots 14. This permits the inner case to be drawn out as a drawer, being stopped just before entire withdrawal, by engagement of the pins with the outer ends of the slots. The inner case or frame may then be swung upon the pins 25 menses predetermined amount without waiting an ap-.

preciable time. It is also impossible to withdraw toweling without having a like amount wound up. Other forms of delayed action mechanism may be used in substitution of that shown.

A ratchet and pawl, or an equivalent stop device, should be provided which will prevent operation of the device in a backward direction. This may conveniently be done by placing a ratchet wheel 9 on one of the shafts and a pawl 90 engaging the same. This will prevent pulling out the used portions of the toweling.

Pivoted at 91 to the outer side of the inner case 2, is a drop plate 92 which has two sideturned flanges 93 and 94. On the lowermost, 94, is printed "pull and on the upper 93, stop. The door has a glass covered peep hole 95 through which these may be seen, one at a time. Normally, or when the cabinet is positioned to pull out the towel, the word pull is shown. This position is shown in Figure 4. The head of the dash pot stem 82, acts to hold the drop plate up. When the dash pot is run back, as occurs when a portion of towel is pulled out, the drop falls so as to expose the word stop.

Both the towel-winding roll 3 and the towel guiding roll 5 are freely removable from the slots in the frame in which they are Journaled. By removing these rolls from their journal slots, it is possible to put in place or remove the towel at any time without having to thread it'through any slots and irrespective of whether the roll has been partly or wholly unrolled. In inserting a towel roll one end is rolled upon the roll 3 enough to secure the towel end thereto and is then dropped into its journal slots 30. The supply roll ,is then placed in the compartment therefor, as is shown in Figure 1, and the guiding roll 5 placed in a loop of the towel and then dropped into its Journal slots 50. Fbr the reason that no threading of the towel through a slot or slots is required, the towel may be removed when partly used, without having to roll it up.

When the frame is swung into the case, the web or flange 12 enters the space between and coacts with the edge of plate 21 and the corner 28 of the frame above the flange 12, to engage the towel, thereby applying to it a slight tension, and forming an eil'e'ctlve smoothing device which insures smooth entrance of the towel and its delivery to the winding roll 3 without wrinkling. By reason of this tension the roll B is tightly wound.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a towel-supply device employing a towel web, a. cabinet having a storage compartment for the unused toweling, means for rolling up the used towcling, actuated by and during the withdrawal 01' a fresh section 01 the toweling, a stop actuated by the withdrawal of the toweling to limit the amount of said withdrawal, and

a dash-pot device actuated by the towel withdrawal and adapted to release the stop device after a measured time interval.

2. m a towel supply device employing a towel web, feeding means for clean toweling and takeup means for winding up the soiled toweling, stop mechanism actuated by the withdrawal of clean toweling to limit the amount of said withdrawal, said stop mechanism including a slldable stop-bar, and a dashpot device actuated by the towel withdrawal and adapted to move said stop-bar to inoperative position after a measured time interval.

3. A towel supply mechanism comprising a,

feed roll rotated by the withdrawal of the towel, a stop mechanism limiting the amount of rotation of said feed roll and including a stop-bar mounted to slide diametrically of said feed roll, a fixed stop engageable by said stop-bar, and time controlled means automatically operable to engage said stop-bar to free it from said fixed stop, thereby to permit further rotation of said teed roll.

4. A towel supply mechanism comprising a driving roll turned by the withdrawal of the towel and a stop mechanism limiting the amount of said taming and comprising a disk connected with and turned by said roll and having a stopbar mounted to slide diametrically of the disk,

time controlled means automatically operable to engage said stop bar to free it from engagement with said fixed stop to thereby permit further turning of the driving roll.

5. A towel supply mechanism comprising a driving roller over which the towel passes as withdrawn, a disk connected with and turned by said roller and having toothed segments, a stop-bar mounted to slide diametrically of said disk and to be projected from its periphery, a fixed stop positioned to be engaged by said stop bar, a dash-pot having a normally projected plunger carrying a rack section adapted to be engaged by the toothed segments of the disk to retract the dash pot plunger, said plunger having an arm adapted on the projection of the plunger to engage the stop bar to slide it into release position.

6. A towel holder having means for storing a towel supply and means for rolling up the used toweling, means actuated by the withdrawal of toweling from the supply to limit automatically the amount which may be withdrawn, means autpmatically operable after a predetermined time to-release the towel for further withdrawals, indicating means and actuating means therefor operable simultaneously with the limiting means to inform the user that no further withdrawal will be permitted, and also operable upon re-' lease of the towel to inform the user that further withdrawals will be permitted.

'i. In a towel supply device employing a towel web, a cabinet having a storage compartment for the unused toweling, means for rolling up the used toweling, actuated by the withdrawal of a fresh section of the toweling, stop means actuated by the withdrawal of the toweling to limit the amount of said withdrawal and a dashpot device actuated by the towel withdrawal and adapted to release the stop means after a measured time interval, a member connected to and movable by the dashpot device, and an indicator engageable by said member and movable theremeans operable by the advance of fresh toweling to wind'the used web on to the used roll, a casing supporting the aforesaid elements, a cabi net within which said casing is pivoted, and from which said casing may swing, said casing having two adjacent, transversely extending, vertically spaced edges at its rear portion, and the cabinet having an edge entering between and extending beyond said spaced edges, whereby, as the casing is moved into the cabinet, the towel web which extends to the used roll is de- 'z'ieoted about the three edges, to smooth end slightly tension the same, and the casing having a smooth wall extending upwardly from the upper of the two edges, over which the tewel web is smoothed as it is drawn to the used mil.

ROMAIN DE BERSAQUES. 

